A Curious Thing
by sdbubbles
Summary: A collection of songfics about our favourite team!
1. Troubled Soul

**A/N: I actually don't know exactly where this fic came from, but I have been listening to a lot of Amy MacDonald's songs this week, so that might be what happened. This is set a few weeks after "Meat Is Murder."**_  
_

**The song lyrics are from "Troubled Soul" by Amy MacDonald, who I am absolutely addicted to right now!**

**Sarah x**

* * *

_Oh, the sun may shine through your window on a summer's day  
Doesn't change, your heavy heart skips a beat each day  
You get a temporary high as your watch life pass you by  
Every single day you want to cry  
Can we wish the tears a fond goodbye?_

Weeks had passed since Sandra's dad's secrets shattered everything she thought she knew. The sun shone through the window of Gerry's car, hitting her face but not really helping to light up her almost dead eyes. She was waiting for him to return from the shop at the petrol station – he was living off of cigarettes, and she was being fuelled solely by caffeine. She'd had so little sleep that she briefly wondered if it was keeping her alive just now.

She thought again about what she was left to deal with now. The tears once again stung her eyes, and she tried to stem them. She didn't like the boys to see her cry, and Gerry in particular. She had to be seen as strong, not a weeping woman who couldn't deal with her situation.

She jumped as the car door opened and Gerry sat down next to her. "One coffee for the guv'nor," he announced cheerily, trying to keep her spirits up. "And a bacon roll and a packet of Jaffa Cakes, since look like you've barely eaten all week," he added, looking at her deathly pale face.

She wiped her face with her sleeve and took the food and caffeine Gerry was handing her. "Thanks," she tried to say, but it came out broken. She returned her gaze to the outside world, watching while people filled their cars up, while children argued in the back seats of cars, while lorry drivers drank from large bottles of energy drink so they could finish their shifts. It was the only thing that made her really curious just now – watching other people, wondering what their lives were like.

"Sandra," Gerry sighed tentatively. She looked around at him with her trademark glare but, for once, it didn't bother him. "Do you realise you've cried every day for the past six weeks?" She said nothing to him. He was right, after all. How could she really deny it? He would have seen her. "I just wish I could make you stop crying," he admitted. "I hate seeing you cry."

_Aching heart, troubled soul_  
_I wanna tell you something wanted you to know_  
_Look at these eyes, look at this smile_  
_They're gonna stay around here, for a while_  
_Aching heart, troubled soul_  
_I wanna tell you something wanted you to know_  
_Look at these eyes, look at this smile_  
_They're gonna stay around here, for a while_

She felt his hand fall onto hers in a sort of comfort neither of them offered one another very often. "It still hurts, Gerry," Sandra whispered.

"I don't think it'll really ever stop," he said honestly. "That kind of betrayal and lies ain't just gonna go away. You'll learn to accept it, keep on living and working. You'll have to. I don't think I could put up with Grumpy and Dopey on my own," he joked.

Her face broke into a smile for the first time in a long time. She could just imagine the chaos that would ensue if she deserted her boys. Messy office, a grouchy Jack, an annoyingly obsessive Brian and hourly death threats from Gerry. She wouldn't envy Strickland and the poor sod he would put in charge of UCOS if she left. It made her smile to know that if she was replaced, her lovely boys would make Strickland and her replacement's lives an absolute living hell.

"See," he said cheerfully. "There's the smile we all love! Now we just gotta keep it there," he grinned at her, daring to pat her cheek companionably.

_Oh, the rain may pour and it may fall_  
_But still I'll always hear you call_  
_I'll be waiting, waiting for you_  
_Oh, your eyes so blue, your smile so wide_  
_I think about you every day and every night_  
_I'll be waiting, waiting for you_

Sandra looked outside and let the thoughts run through her head with no real order to proceedings. "Tom keeps phoning me, sending me emails," she revealed. "It's selfish of me, I know, but I'm just not sure if I want to go there," she confessed, ashamed of her own selfishness.

"It's up to you, Sandra," Gerry reminded her gently. "Maybe you'd like having a brother. But if it doesn't work out, you'll always have us. And it's not selfish. I completely understand it. He'd just be another reminder that your dad did a lot of things he shouldn't have done, and that he lied to you for a long time before he died."

She looked at Gerry for a moment, studying his face. "Do you mean that?" she asked doubtfully.

"Which part?" he replied, not sure what statement she was referring to.

"Will you be there for me when it goes wrong? When I speak to Tom and I haven't got it in me to be his sister, will you be there for me when I need you?" she asked quietly. She realised then that she couldn't be alone anymore. She was too upset, too troubled, to make her way through her life on her own anymore. The burden had finally become unbearable for her.

"I'll always be there," he promised her. "Day or night. I just wanna see you smile again," he told her, patting her leg lightly. She looked down at his hand and thought about that so simple gesture. He really was serious; he was really promising to stick by her through this.

_Aching heart, troubled soul_  
_I wanna tell you something wanted you to know_  
_Look at these eyes, look at this smile_  
_They're gonna stay around here, for a while_  
_Aching heart, troubled soul_  
_I wanna tell you something wanted you to know_  
_Look at these eyes, look at this smile_  
_They're gonna stay around here, for a while_

"Why didn't he just admit it?" she asked of Gerry, trying not to cry as she recalled the way she found out about everything. "My dad. Why didn't he just admit it? I would've still loved him. He would've still been my dad."

"He probably didn't want to risk losing you," he explained to her. He put his arm around her shoulders and pulled her into his side. "Don't analyse it, Sandra. It'll just drive you up the wall," he told her, rubbing her arm gently. "He did what he did, and you have to deal with the fallout. One way or the other, you're gonna have to deal with Tom. He ain't just gonna disappear."

"I know that," she groaned. "I just feel guilty for not feeling like he's my brother and not wanting anything to do with him, because it wasn't his fault. He was the product of one of my dad's more major cock-ups, and I can't hold that against him, can I?"

It troubled her greatly to feel what she did for Tom, which was very little. There was no sense of companionship or family between them. They were strangers. This was no joyful reunion of long lost siblings. This was more betrayal and more lies coming to the surface, many years after being buried. Every time she looked at Tom, heard his voice on her answering machine, she saw her dad and the lies he spun. She was reminded of how much she had loved her father, while he went behind everyone's backs, risking everything he had.

"I could be with you," he suggested. "You know, while you speak to him. I don't mind."

She smiled to herself, her heart melting a little bit at the reminder of his care for her. "No," she declined. "This is something I'll have to do on my own. But thank you," she said, patting his chest lightly. "I'll be OK," she promised him, wondering if she actually believed her own words. She _would_ be OK. She would make sure of it. She would force a smile until it became real, and she would stand in the sun forever if it could brighten her eyes again. She would not let this rule her life. It had done for nearly six weeks, and what good had it done?

_Aching heart, troubled soul_  
_I wanna tell you something wanted you to know_  
_Look at these eyes, look at this smile_  
_They're gonna stay around here, for a while_

"I know you will," he smiled. "You always are." He pressed a soft kiss onto her head, smiling into her hair. "And _if_ it goes pear-shaped, you can always call me, or come over."

"Thanks," she whispered. She just sat there for a while, leaning into his chest, letting his warmth flood through her again. She would get by. She would make sure of it. And, most importantly, Gerry was going to be right there, making this journey with her, making her smile and laugh, making her eyes light up every day. He was going to make it bearable.

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**Hope this is OK!  
Please leave me a review and tell me what you thought!  
Sarah x**


	2. The Days of Being Young and Free

_Listen to my heart  
As it beats for you  
And it's telling you the things  
That I never could  
And it's laying it down  
On the line for you_

Another long day and Gerry sat in the office with Sandra, free of Jack and Brian for a while. God knows, he did like Jack and Brian, but he also valued his time alone with Sandra. The silence in the room was not strained; this was one of the few days they had not disagreed over anything yet. He was finished his paperwork, and he knew she was dragging hers out as long as possible, as she had only an empty home to go to.

He went into her private office, sat down opposite her and took a bundle of papers to his own attention. "What are you doing?" she demanded.

"The sooner we finish this lot, the sooner we get to go to the pub," he explained. She didn't answer him back. She just smiled at him, and he saw her grace and beauty in that smile. When she was angry, the one thing she wasn't was ladylike, but she could be when she felt like it. She was beautiful, strong, kind hearted despite her persona...and he would never be able to tell her these things.

But he would show her, by doing things like this on occasion. By taking half her load from her. By protecting her. By loving her. And he knew she was aware of what he did. He knew she saw the things he did, because it quite frequently annoyed her to no end. They both chose to ignore it, just taking security from one another when they needed it. And that was the way he showed her his feelings for her.

_And the years are catching up  
I can see it on your face  
And the days of being young and free  
Are left there with the memories  
That blow in the wind  
_

He studied her face for a second, and he could clearly see the fatigue in her eyes. It wasn't exhaustion or lack of energy. He knew what it was. She was tired of leading her solitary life. She dealt with everything on her own with no help, and it was finally catching up with her.

He remembered their first case together. Sandra had been placed in charge of UCOS as a punishment of sorts, for shooting a dog. Jack and Brian she was just about able to handle, but Gerry remembered she did not like him at all. Not one bit. He recalled her shouting in his face about a tape and how she didn't trust him and she didn't like him. That was years ago, when they were both much younger, and much less mature than they were now. They'd both done a lot of growing up in recent years.

He laughed to himself, and Sandra's head snapped up. "Something funny?" she asked. Now he didn't know whether to tell her the truth or make up some lie to save his own skin.

"I was thinking about when we first worked together all those years ago. You couldn't stand the sight of me," he chuckled. "Jack told me you were gonna deck me."

"I was," she answered honestly. "You were getting on my nerves."

"I've grown up, though," he reasoned, and she raised her eyebrows, her eyes glittering with cheekiness as she gave him half a smile.

"Marginally," she allowed. "Though I still put it down to old age," she grinned. He smacked her arm lightly and she burst out laughing.

_And I can feel it coming  
When the Monday morning blues  
They last all through the week  
I feel it on Sunday too  
And I can feel it coming  
When my knees feel weak  
And I cannot speak  
The truth_

It was Friday night and they were still stuck here doing paperwork, long after Jack and Brian had finished theirs. It was a bit depressing to be trawling through a mountain of files on a Friday night, but those were the breaks. But there was no-one he would rather be stuck with doing the most boring task in the history of the planet.

He knew he would be tired and miserable on Monday morning, with the prospect of a full day's work ahead of him. Well, it would start the night before. Now, _that_ was a sign of old age.

"I'll be glad to get out of here tonight," Sandra sighed unexpectedly. She looked up at him, like she wanted to add something, but she said nothing more. She just smiled her warm, beautiful smile and returned to her work.

Gerry looked at his watch. Half-past six. This could be done in about an hour if they concentrated on it. "Wanna go to the pictures?" he asked her. She looked up in surprise, and he immediately started kicking himself for his thoughtlessness.

She looked down at the papers on her desk. "Shove it," she grinned. "We can finish this one Monday." He was surprised that she actually agreed to go, never mind put off her work for it.

He wanted to tell her how much she meant to him, but thought better of it. What if it caused a rift between them? He couldn't have that.

_The days of being young_  
_The days of being free_  
_They're etched upon my face_  
_In every line that you see_  
_The stories I could tell_  
_The lies I told as well_  
_What I wouldn't give_  
_To live it all again_

For all they were both starting to get older and properly grow up, in this moment, Gerry felt younger than he had done in a long, long time. They got into his car and argued over what movie to see. "I want to watch _The Possession_," she whined, almost childishly. He grinned at her for second, loving her sudden immaturity, but was deadly serious again when he spoke.

"I've seen the trailer," he protested. "I am not watching anything with some demon coming out of a box to possess Kyra Sedgwick's daughter!"

"Are you scared, Gewwy?" she asked, putting on her baby voice to wind him up. She had done this before and it always got him. He always resisted the urge to tickle her to get his own back, because she could very well break his hand if he so much as touched her.

"No," he snarled like a toddler, causing her to start laughing at him. "What about _Brave_?" he suggested.

"That's a kids' film!" she exclaimed. "But is does look alright," she admitted. "Can we see it in 3D?" she asked, her facing brightening up. So much for grown-up, then. He smiled and shook his head lightly. There was something adorable about her when she got like this, acting like a child. She was beautiful as always, but she was also cute when she allowed herself to let go like this.

"Of course," he grinned at her. He loved her smile, her laugh, and there were many stories he had that could probably bring them to life, but most of them involved him lying, so she might have just frowned upon his behaviour. Those were the days he would love to live again, but he enjoyed just now too much to even be tempted at the moment.

_The years are passing by_  
_Every single day_  
_Where did they go?_  
_Did you take them all away?_  
_Now I'm older_  
_And grey_

He had passed many years in Sandra's company. Sometimes she loved his and others she wanted to rip his throat out, but it never severed their friendship. It just proved how close they were, the way the always pulled through every mess and every screw up.

He had to admit, as he parked the car and guided Sandra into the cinema, these were fast becoming the best days of his life. She had the best days of his life, because so many of them were with her. They seemed to pass faster and faster all the time, and he had never really stood back and examined what he now had, until tonight. Now he was undeniably much older, he finally saw that this strength and power and beauty in Sandra was what he'd been looking for for a long time. She was stronger than him – much stronger – but that was what he loved most about her.

He bought the tickets and the popcorn and the drinks and sat down next to her in the theatre. "So what do we say when Strickland wants to know why that paperwork is late?" he said to her while adverts played on the screen.

"'We'?" she raised an eyebrow at him.

"Well, yeah," he answered her. "I did put the idea in you head, didn't I? So this is partly my fault." She leaned in to whisper something in his ear, and he could feel the warmth from her sweet breath and resisted the temptation to turned around quickly and catch her lips in his.

"We'll tell him to shove his paperwork where the sun don't shine," she whispered in his ear, her devilish smile making her lips brush his skin.

_And the children, they all left_  
_They fled their family nest_  
_And now we're all alone_  
_And the house don't feel like home_  
_Anymore_  
_Anymore_

"Now, now, Sandra," he chuckled. The film started, and she turned to face the screen as he did. He remembered taking the kids to the pictures occasionally. It wasn't very often he was aroumd long enough to take them, but when he did, they loved it. But they had all left their homes now, and when he visited his ex-wives the houses felt empty. He even missed the sound of their laughter and their moaning in his own home.

He knew Sandra's home wasn't much of a home. He had been there once or twice, and there was nothing personal about it. There were no photos or gifts or anything like that. No sign she had friends and family. There were only her things, as she had no husband or children. The truth was, as much as she loved to deny it, she was lonely.

He reached his hand out gently to hold on to hers. She looked around to glare at him but he features just softened. His thumb the back of her hand very lightly, trying to make her unwind after a long day's unpleasant work.

Eventually, her head fell onto his shoulder and she finally began to relax and enjoy herself. "Much better than being home alone," she whispered to him. It was the first admission in a long time that the nights she spent in her home were lonely these days.

_Then I can feel it coming_  
_When the Monday morning blues_  
_They last all through the week_  
_I feel it on Sunday too_  
_And I can feel it coming_  
_When my knees feel weak_  
_And I cannot speak_  
_The truth_

Normally, by now, he was already thinking of what Monday was going to bring. Another introduction to a brutal crime from the past, or a mountain of paperwork to rival perhaps Ben Nevis. But just now he was just enjoying the company of a woman he had spent years gradually falling for. Seeing her relax for the first time in ages.

This week had been downright miserable. A nasty case, Sandra getting uptight over orders from Strickland she didn't particularly wish to follow, Brian going on one of his more depressive mood swings. God only knows how Gerry hadn't banged everyone's heads together. It had been a very tempting idea. When the movie finished, Sandra lifted her head and looked around at Gerry. "That was actually quite good," she allowed. She was still wearing the glasses, so she looked a little funny. He took them from her face and she smiled again. This was it. This was the moment he finally had to make a decision and choose to tell her or keep quiet.

"Sandra," he said softly. "Do you know how close we've become?" The question surprised her and she looked quite taken aback, but she sat and thought for a second, and he knew exactly what she was thinking of. She was thinking of how he was the only who never knew of her father's suicide. She was thinking of the times he was so set against her doing anything that would possibly put her safety in jeopardy. She was thinking of the banter and the cheek and impudence they shared. Because that was what he was thinking of.

Her hand reached out to touch his face gently, and he caught her hand, stroking it with the tips f his fingers. This was real. This was the truth it had taken them so long to see.

_The days of being young_  
_The days of being free_  
_They're etched upon my face_  
_In every line that you see_  
_The stories I could tell_  
_The lies I told as well_  
_What I wouldn't give_  
_To live it all again_

He would have sat there all night if he could have. But she stood up, and ran with a wicked grin and a youthfulness that contradicted her age. She tripped a little on the steps, and caught a nearby seat to balance herself, giggling for the first time in weeks. Thank Christ they were the only ones left in the theatre. She made it to the bottom and smiled up at him, daring him to try and catch her.

He shook his head slightly at her, but he did get up and follow her down the steps. So she ran out of the theatre and into the hallway, the door swinging behind her. What had got into her tonight? Ignoring work, agreeing to the pictures, running like this...just as well Gerry was not far behind her.

When he entered the hallway, she was nowhere to be seen. He looked around, through the small crowd but she was nowhere. Then he looked behind a cardboard cut-out of a zebra from _Madagascar_ and all he heard was "Boo!" He jumped slightly and she laughed at him. This was his favourite side to her, the side that loved to laugh and have fun. But fun was something neither of them saw very often anymore.

He blonde hair was messed up and her smile was wide, and she actually, for once, looked like she was thoroughly enjoying herself. It was a sight he rarely saw, but it was also one he loved to see. She concentrated on work so much that she thought more about what she didn't have than she did about what she did have, and what she could have if she was willing to reach out and take him.

She pulled him by the jacket so his body was pressed against hers. It took him by surprise so he stumbled a little bit, but she soon steadied him.

_And in my baby's eyes_  
_I lived it all again_  
_The fear, the surprise_  
_Everything_

He felt her hands on his face, pulling his lips down onto hers. Her breathed tasted sweet; it tasted of toffee popcorn and Pepsi Max. His hands wandered to her waist, and she was smiling into his mouth. He had a feeling that this was the first time she had felt remotely joyous in a long time.

She pulled back from him when she ran out of oxygen, and she grinned up at him, and giggled very slightly. Her blue eyes shone bright, and he could see exactly what he felt – shock and the tiny fear that this wasn't right. But in his heart, he knew she was more than right for him. She was perfect, in every way, for him.

_In my baby's eyes  
I lived it all again  
And I wouldn't change  
Anything  
And in my baby's eyes  
I lived it all again  
And I wouldn't change  
Anything  
_

He just chuckled at her, pulling her into his arms and wrapping her in a tight embrace. This was the way it should have been a long time ago, but they were both to stubborn and proud to admit that, actually, they needed each other. He knew, and he wasn't being obnoxious, but he knew that if she didn't have him in her life, she would have smiled and laughed far less than she did, seeing him every day.

She pulled herself out of his arms and smiled up at him. "My place?" she suggested. She took his hand and they made their way to the car. She was sitting there in a shocked silence, but she was smiling, and that was all Gerry ever wanted for her: to be happy, even though they were no longer young and their minds were no longer free.

* * *

**Hope this is OK!  
Please leave a review and tell me what you think!  
Sarah x**


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